Keitai

Ok, this is a brilliant idea from Gigabyte out of Taiwan—on two fronts. Firstly, their new g-re line of devices are being marketed as a mobile learning phone.

The g-re is a slider phone with a neat look and rich content. Besides ten novel motion-sensing JAVA games, g-re is equipped with an unprecedented GEPT (General English Proficiency Test) learning tool, providing a complete mobile life of entertainment and learning. g-re supports a series of interactive GEPT learning tools co-developed with National Yunlin University of Science and Technology. Plug in the GEPT memory cards and enjoy a mobile English learning environment from basic to advanced level, and from listening to reading.

The content pack idea is not new but this is a really interesting implementation as it ties specific content with a specific device and specific target group. The phone is fun, colourful and clearly meant for students so the tie-in of ESL practice and learning (a popular subject throughout Asia) with a personal device is a good one. And—assuming developers’ resources (SDK, device profile etc.) are eventually made available to the community and there is no DRM on the cards themselves, it introduces a great secondary market for new m-learning content that would be once again tailored to this group and this device. Plus—due to the flexibility of Flash Lite—with some judicious coding and testing, it’s quite likely that these SWF files would also work on S60 and Sony Ericsson devices—and maybe even the U10—despite the difference in controllers and softkey configurations.

I also really like the way they’ve incorporated the motion sensors into fun yet very useable (sounding) features.

• Shake and Change wallpapers. I love this idea! Shake the phone, the wallpaper changes. A nice, simple yet non-gratuitous and low-stress use of the motion sensing abilities of the device.
• Bodyguard. Once again taking advantage of the motion sensors, the phone can be placed on personal property (ex. hang it on a door) and will activate an alarm when disturbed.
• Smart Alarm. Apparently this built in alarm clock can only be turned off with a ’sober head.’ Hmm…not sure what that means but opens up some possibilities for early morning skill testing questions or motion sensing calisthenics in lieu of simply pressing the snooze button.
• Built in Motion Sensing Games: They don’t elaborate on what these might be but judging by some of the awesome games coming out of the region that involve movement already, they could be really fun.

I’m quite the geek but I don’t care much for gratuitous uses of technology. Motion sensing technology prototypes for handsets have often struck me as trying to do too much. Phones spend their days being moved around from hand to pocket to purse to desk to floor (oops!) etc. So the above examples seem perfect to me as they are useful, yet not integral to any of the vital functions of the phone (making a call, sending a text, opening an application, scrolling through a menu etc.)

Plus the features are fun! For all the glitter, handsets are getting a bit boring these days. The Carl Zeiss lenses and all that are wonderful—don’t get me wrong—but when was the last time just using a handset was actually fun, made you giggle, or made you smile right out of the box?